In the rain, I dreamt of you
by Sakura Rikami
Summary: Sasuke starts to have dreams about a girl whom he had forgotten a long time ago and thus, he decided to unlock the memories which lay forgotten in his soul. Would he go back to Konoha? Or would he chose revenge over all else? Full summary inside.


Summary: When Orochimaru wanted Sasuke to return to Konoha to gather news about the Akatsuki, Sasuke finds himself feeling more and more attached to his hometown. However, there are some things that can't be forgotten and Sasuke has to decide whether to run from the darkness or fight it. In order to do that, he would have to unlock his the forgotten parts of his memories. A mysterious girl appears…who is she? How is she related to him? SasuXOC, HinaXNeji, ShikaXIno and other pairings.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto characters but I do own the original characters.

**Special Announcement:** I'm dedicating this fiction to Sakura Rikami who has been my original character for a long time. (See? I'm even using her name as a pen name. Haha.) So the 'Sakura' you see in the fiction is my original character. **Not** the Sakura Haruno from Naruto. Please do take note of that. I would tell you if it's Sakura Haruno.

P.S: The first part of chapter one is slightly a song fiction. (I just wanted to try out something new.)

* * *

Song: 'Frozen' by Madonna

Chapter One: The day you left

(Sasuke's POV)

I could still remember that dream.

It felt like yesterday that something like that happened. I remember my hatred. _She_ tried to stop me. I remembered the pain in my heart. I had to go. When Sakura (Haruno) tried to prevent me from going to Orochimaru, I felt the pain come back because I was reminded of _her_.

Who is she…?

I blinked my eyes. Recalling the dream, I tried to gather enough courage to face my bleeding heart. I need to see _her_. I needed to know…

There was darkness. Then two people…I could see them.

* * *

(The dream) (Normal POV)

(A/n: If you really want to know the setting…it's about 1000 years before Sasuke went to Orochimaru and left Konoha. So it's his past life and the same thing happened before.)

"Sasuke-kun…" A voice sounded. The raven-haired boy looked up to see a girl with long blue hair, standing in his way.

"What are you doing here?" He answered with a stoic tone.

"That should be my question." The girl replied. Her eyes were glazed over with a longing and sorrowful look. The long blue hair of hers flowed gently in the wind.

"None of your business."

_You only see what your eyes want to see..._

_How can life be what you want it to be...?_

_You're frozen..._

_When your heart's not open._

"Why…?" She asked him. "Are you going to leave us…? Leave _me_…?" There was a touch of loneliness in her voice. She was on the verge of tears. Sasuke stared at her defiantly. "I can't stay here anymore."

"That's enough!" She suddenly raised her voice. "I don't want to hear about your revenge anymore! Do you think it would even _hurt_ your brother if he saw you like this?"

_You're so consumed with how much you get... _

_You waste your time with hate and regret... _

_You're broken..._

_When your heart's not open..._

Before Sasuke could reply, he stopped. She was crying. Yet she kept a strong front. There was a look of determination in her eyes. She needed to stop him.

"Sasuke-kun…you know very well yourself. All those years…in that dark, horrible place… You know how it feels like to be lonely. I know it as well. You're just going to get hurt. Nothing would come out of it."

"I know that."

"Then…why?" She pressed on. Nothing was going to make her let him go alone. He had suffered enough. Sasuke paused. The real reason he was leaving…was because he could not bear to hurt her. It was true that he hated Itachi, but the main reason was because his older brother was after _her_. Also, Sasuke knew that the time would come, when he had to avenge his clan.

He was never going to tell her that.

"Like I said…it's none of your business." He walked past her and towards the large doors of the village. The girl's eyes widened for a moment, then softened again.

_Mmmmmm... If I could melt your heart..._

_Mmmmmm... We'd never be apart._

_Mmmmmm... Give yourself to me..._

_Mmmmmm... You hold the key._

"Sasuke-kun…" Her voice was in a soft whisper. "Did you ever love me…?"

Sasuke stopped and spun around to face her once more. She was giving him a pained smile. The tears never seemed to end as they spilled onto the cold stoned floor.

"Just…leave me alone." Sasuke felt hurt, but he was not going to succumb to the pain. He tried to ignore her and walk away when she walked forward and grabbed his hand. There was an overwhelming desire to push her away but he did not.

_Now there's no point in placing the blame..._

_And you should know I suffer the same..._

_If I lose you..._

_My heart will be broken._

She held out a choker. There was a pair of beautifully carved wings in the middle and a soft glowing ball in between them.

"For you." She stated simply and handed the choker to him. "So that…you'll never forget…where you came from…" She spoke slowly.

"The friends you had…"

"And the one who loved you."

It was surprising what such a sentence could do to him. He had to get away fast, or the resolve to kill his brother would disappear. She let go of him and smiled faintly through her tears.

"Please don't ever forget…Sasuke-kun. No matter how lonely you are…no matter how lost you feel… There's always a place for you to return to."

Sasuke looked away from her. "I don't need you."

Silence simply befell them as she stood quietly, watching him. He walked out of the large doors and stared at her for one last time. He could swear that he saw her mouthing the words, "Goodbye…my love."

_Love is a bird, she needs to fly... _

_Let all the hurt inside of you die... _

_You're frozen..._

_When your heart's not open._

Then her figure disappeared. The village was once again thrown into absolute silence except for the rustling of leaves and the noise of the crickets.

* * *

(Sasuke's POV)

I woke up after seeing her figure vanish. At least now I know how she looked like. But still…

I felt my face with my hands and found them to be wet. Not wet with sweat from a nightmare…but wet with tears from a shattered dream.

Burying my face into my hands, I took a little time to settle myself. Maybe…I really didn't want to leave her. Maybe…I shouldn't have left.

"Sasuke-kun." A male voice sounded outside my room door.

Great. Absolutely what I needed. One day I'll really kill Orochimaru and that gay servant of his. Wait. Who am I kidding? He was supposed to help me finish Itachi off. The rest can wait.

"What the hell is it?" Okay. Maybe I really am angry.

The male voice hesitated before answering. "Orochimaru-sama asked to see you."

"Hn." I gave my usual reply and sent him scurrying.

Doesn't Orochimaru have better things to do? He is constantly barging into my personal space. Crap. I cannot think properly like this. I might as well go entertain Orochimaru before he gets pissed off and things become really ugly.

I left the dark stoned room and into the torch-lit hallway.

_All those years...in that dark, horrible place..._

Somehow, I remembered what she said to me. I wonder what she meant. Was I once closed in a dark place or something? Well, whatever it is, I bet it's quite similar to this.

I walked into Orochimaru's room. He smiled his snake-like grin at me and I shuddered. He really **IS** a freak.

"Sasuke-kun…" He spoke in an irritating drawl. Maybe it was his tongue that was not functioning well…causing such an unpleasant sound.

"You were looking for me. What is it?"

"We found this yesterday during a mission." He lifted his hand up towards me and a choker partially fell out. I could see the design on it. It seemed familiar…

_For you...So that...you'll never forget...where you came from..._

_The friends you had..._

_And the one who loved you._

Holy shit. It's that choker from my dream! I glared at him as he waved it in front of me. "And…?" I was not about to give him the satisfaction that he found a weak spot of mine.

"I think this is yours…is it not?"

Crap. He knows.

"What makes you think so?"

Orochimaru gave an annoying chuckle. "It seems to be a memory recorder or something. I found a way to activate it and took a good look." A nasty glint appeared in his eyes. I don't think I'm going to like this.

"And guess what I found…? Sasuke-kun…?"

"What did you find?" I continued to stay emotionless. It was necessary when you deal with jerks like Orochimaru.

"Your elegant blossom… A girl of blue hair and soft green eyes." He paused. "Or should I say…your _weak_ spot." I kept quiet, still glaring at him. Orochimaru knew that he had hit a soft spot and he grinned once more.

"Do you want to know…? Who she is…and what did she want you to remember?" The bastard threatened me once more.

Well, there's no time like the present to be honest. "Yes."

"Good." He kept the choker in his pocket and spoke to me seriously. "I need you to find out news about the Akatsuki." What the hell? Is this man insane? Wait. Yes, I forgot that he is.

"The hell? You want me to go interrogate an Akatsuki member or something?"

Orochimaru slapped his head in exasperation. "No. That would be suicidal…and I still need your body. What I meant was for you to go to Konoha and find the news."

Konoha? That place which was filled with my past? I hate this plan.

"Well…you know that they aren't going to just hand over the documents happily while saying 'Here, Sasuke…they're all in alphabetic order! If you need anything else, please feel free to ask!'." I spoke in a sarcastic manner and frowned. Okay…maybe Sakura would. She has always been weird.

The snake guy nodded. "That's why…you're going undercover. You're going to pretend that you are going back to their side. After gaining news of the Akatsuki, you are to come back here, understand?"

I calculated the risks and stuff. "You know…you're taking a big risk here. I could just turn on you anytime." I stated in an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. Folding my arms across my chest, I continued to stare at him.

The evil glint appeared in his eyes once more. "Not if you want your _memories_ and _loved-one_ back. Plus, you still need me to help kill your older brother."

Damn, he's good. I have to give him that.

"Hn." Was my reply to his ridiculous plan.

Orochimaru laughed and grinned. "Take care of yourself."

"I would." I turned around and left the room. I think I'm going to be sick. He always struck me as 'too disgusting' to look at.

"That's good to hear…" I could hear him call out from behind me. "Your body would be mine soon, you know…can't afford to have any scratches."

My god. Is it me, or did that last sentence sound a little sick? I shuddered once more. This place is like a living hell.

_You know how it feels like to be lonely..._

_You're just going to get hurt._

I keep getting reminded of the things she said to me. What in the world did I leave for in my past life? Did I succeed in doing what I set out to do? I hope so, because I'm not sure what is going to happen in this life of mine now. So…it's back to Konoha for me then? Orochimaru sure knows how to torture someone mentally. That sick old man. I just might break and kill him one day.

I stepped out of the cave and into the sunlight. Just as I was about to leave for Konoha, I noticed a sign outside of the cave that says 'Orochimaru's lair! Beware all ignorant passer-bys!'

……

How stupid can that gay servant of his be? What the hell is a signboard doing here?

I took about three seconds of my precious time and destroyed the god-forsaken ugly thing. That's better. The world would do better with less stupid people and their signboards hanging around.

* * *

(Normal POV)

It was a normal day for the village of Konoha and the shinobis were training. Sakura (Haruno) and Naruto were sparring under the supervision of Kakashi.

"KYAAAAH!!!" Sakura yelled as she aimed a punch at Naruto's face. "Woah!" He dodged it and used Kage-Bunshiin to kick her away. If he got hit by one of Sakura's punches… Naruto shuddered. The consequences would be horrible, and probably disgusting.

A slight chuckle was heard behind them. The two stopped and Naruto turned around to face their uninvited guest. Sakura felt her lips tremble. "Sa…Sasuke-kun…"

The raven-haired boy looked down at them from the tree. He had not changed much. His hair was still kept short and only his height seemed to be different. "Yo…" He said casually, like it was natural for their long-lost friend to suddenly appear one day to say 'hi' to them.

"Still using the same old lousy techniques…I see."

Professionally, he jumped off the tree and landed in front of them. "You guys…haven't changed much." Kakashi went on a high alert. "And what do _you_ want with us…? Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke chuckled.

"Not your lives…this time."

"Then…Sasuke…are you here to…come back to us?" Naruto asked and everybody felt that he was naïve for asking such a question. However, Sasuke's reply was even more stunning than anything could ever be.

"Yeah."

"W…what…?" Sakura (Haruno) asked apprehensively. The pink haired girl could not believe that her target of affection would be one who gives up halfway. Was he really going back to them?

"I said…Yes, I am coming back." He repeated, slightly annoyed that she was so slow.

"But why…? I thought you wanted to…" Naruto blinked hard, thinking that he was still dreaming.

"I had enough of revenge. Plus, Orochimaru was being so gay that I left."

That was enough for Naruto. He smiled with happiness. "Sasuke…you're finally back!" He ran forward and hugged his best friend. Sasuke noticed that Naruto was crying tears of joy. A tinge of guilt was felt inside the deepest parts of his heart.

_I'm sorry. Naruto._

Sasuke smirked. "Shut up, Usuratonkachi and stop crying. You're making my shirt wet."

"See, Sakura-chan? He even **scolds** me like old times!" Naruto exclaimed in delight. Sasuke shoved him away gently. "Stop being so gay."

When Naruto's turn is over, Sakura also walked forward. She hesitated for a while, but seeing that Sasuke did not refuse or anything, she hugged him and also cried. "Sasuke-kun…welcome home."

Sasuke paused, before hugging her back slightly. "It's good to be back."

Then all of the sudden a kunai was thrown between both Sasuke and Sakura. He noticed this in advance and jumped backwards while holding Sakura. Frowning, he lifted his head to see Sai standing not too far away from them.

"Get away from him, Sakura." He commanded, a fierce look overcoming his eyes.

Sakura looked at him in horror. "What the hell do you think you're doing…? Sasuke is one of us!"

"No, he isn't!" Sai growled. "Whatever he is last time, he isn't now! Haven't you two learnt from your last encounter with him? He's dangerous and he no longer treats you two as friends!" He readied his paintbrush and his scroll. If Sasuke tried anything funny, he would kill him immediately.

The raven-haired boy stared at him for a few minutes before bursting into laughter once more. "You see…_this_ was what made you vulnerable to my attacks. You're so predictable and always so…untrusting." He disappeared from beside Sakura to Sai's left side and whispered in his ear.

"Boo."

Sai fell back in shock and landed with a thud on the ground, as Sasuke stood over him, victorious. One cannot really blame Sai for being so afraid. The last time he saw Sasuke, the latter nearly ripped his head off his shoulders.

"Don't worry. I'm on your side this time." Sasuke smirked and lent him a helping hand.

Sai slapped his hand away and stood up. "I don't need your help. Just stay out of my way." With that, he walked off.

Naruto put his left hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's amazing how he really seems like the old you, Sasuke." Sasuke said nothing, but simply stared at Sai's figure as it disappears in the distance.

_The old me...am I any different now?_

He shook his head. _Hell yea. I'm much stronger now. I'm no longer weak._ Kakashi kept quiet as he watch all these unfold. There was a feeling that told him things are not exactly over just yet. Also, if Sasuke were back, there would be some arrangements in the teams once again. That is…if the Fifth Hokage decided to pardon all his crimes.

* * *

(In the Fifth Hokage's office)

"Uchiha…Sasuke." Tsunade stated calmly while staring at the boy in front of her. He was still wearing Orochimaru's trademark clothing and was gazing at her with cold eyes.

"I've heard that you have come back. For what matter?"

Sasuke continued to keep quiet. Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "You have committed heinous crimes and I'm not about to let you go for that. In an attempt to go after you, your friends almost _died_." The Fifth Hokage stood up and eyed him fiercely.

"Are you ready to accept your punishment?"

The raven-haired boy continued to gaze at her with emotionless eyes. Tsunade figured that one bit of him had not changed much. He was still as unreadable as ever, like a blank scroll.

"Yes, I am." He finally spoke.

"Okay." She signaled to a couple of ANBU members. "Take him away." The two men each grabbed Sasuke by his arms and were prepared to drag him away when he flung them to the wall. He stood over them and threatened in a low growl. "Do. Not. Touch. Me."

"Uchiha-kun!" Tsunade readied herself for battle and gave him a warning look. The Uchiha turned away from her and opened the door. "I'm able to go there myself. I don't need them to lay their dirty hands on me." After saying which, he walked out silently. The two ANBU members rubbed the back of their heads woefully.

"Damn him. Uchiha members always have that kind of sick attitude." One spoke angrily. The other simply sighed. "He has changed a lot…haven't he? Tsunade-sama…?" Tsunade watched the door with a sad look. What terrible things have Orochimaru done to Sasuke? Did he really mean it when he said he wanted to return back to Konoha…?

"I hope…" She started, and the two ANBU members gave her their full attention. A regretful look came over her face. "I just hope that he isn't here to break any more hearts. The last time he left…there was so much damage." She could remember it like yesterday. The sad looks on all the eleven Genin's faces. Especially Naruto…

_Somehow it felt like my fault...that he was able to leave._

Tsunade ran her fingers through her hair and sighed once more. Every time she saw Naruto, it was as if he kept repeating the same words over and over to himself. It was painful to watch…and even more painful to feel his sorrow. A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Come in." She replied as she waved her hand to dismiss the two ANBU members.

A girl stepped in and smiled gently at her. "Tsunade-sama…"

Tsunade looked up at the sweet voice and returned her smile. "You're back. How was the mission?" The girl walked slowly to the desk and carefully placed a scroll on the table. "It was okay. Here's a detailed report on it." She nodded.

Tsunade opened the scroll and scanned through the contents. "Seems quite well done."

The girl giggled. Her long blue hair was decorated with red ribbons at the side, making her seem even more so beautiful. Her features were very distinct and the look on her face was soft. It made people in her presence feel very safe and contented. Her soft green eyes gazed at Tsunade, as if examining her.

"Is something the matter…? Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade sighed. "You're always so sharp." The girl silently nodded her agreement. The Fifth Hokage waved her hand absentmindedly and spoke, "It's nothing much. Just that Uchiha Sasuke had returned and…I'm kind of having mixed feelings about this."

A gasp was heard. "Did you…just say…the name 'Sasuke'?" The girl asked with a touch of excitement in her voice. Tsunade stared at her with an amused look. "Do you know him?" The girl's voice started to tremble; she could no longer contain her excitement.

"Y…yes…At least, I think so. I'm not sure if it is the same person."

"Well…he is a handsome young boy with raven colored hair and very nice facial features. He usually is seen with spiked hair. Is that the person you're looking for?" Tsunade spoke in a teasing tone. The girl blushed. "Yes…he _does_ look like that." The Fifth Hokage chuckled. Young kids…and their love lives. She was not young enough for things like that anymore.

"Do you want to see him…?"

The girl nodded excitedly. "Yes, please! May I?"

Tsunade nodded her approval and signaled to her the direction where he had left. "You better hurry. He just left the building." The girl smiled and thanked her before rushing out of the door.

"Sasuke-kun…" She muttered to herself and ran after him.

* * *

(Sasuke's POV)

So…I've just been sentenced to being in a cell for at least ten days…just to keep me in check. Then afterwards I would probably be in probation… I can almost hear myself sigh. It is so troublesome. Can't Orochimaru serve his sentence himself and get the information?

I hate this.

As I walked along the streets, I noticed that people are giving me rude stares as well. Argh. This is going to be a long day. I kept a straight face and simply walked past them. After all, it would be so unlike me to kill them in broad daylight without any qualms.

No, scratch that. I **would** kill them if I had the chance. It is just that I am currently practicing self-restraint. It's a hard thing to do, but I don't have much of a choice.

_Self-restraint... Self-restraint..._

I kept repeating those words over and over again in my mind. I suppose it would work that way?

"Sasuke-kun!!" Oh god. I hear a voice calling me. Please don't let it be Sakura (Haruno).

Subconsciously, I began to walk faster and faster. "Sa…Sasuke-kun! Please wait up!" The voice continued to disturb my thoughts. Not now…I can't _stand_ the sight of Sakura (Haruno) right now. Faster. Faster. Faster.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I literally leapt out of my skin. My first thought was 'RUN!!!' and run I did. I began to sprint in the opposite direction of the voice and it started to sound faint.

Panting, I realized that in my panic, I had overshot the building, which I was supposed to go. Instead, I was by the stream nearby of Konoha. I spotted the training grounds, which I once trained in when I was a Genin. There was this weird sense of longing when I touched the wooden block. Maybe I wished to return to my old life…?

Once again, I'm lonely.

I felt so depressed lately. It must those god-forsaken dreams I have been having. Even though it was only one scene, it kept repeating over and over again in my mind. Those words that girl said…those tears of hers.

"Sasuke…kun…" The same voice sounded once again, except that this time it sounded exhausted. I sighed. Fine. I'm just going to tell her that she should go away and leave me alone. Darn that Sakura (Haruno).

"What the hell is it, Sakura?" I raised my voice slightly and turned to face her.

The moment I did that was the moment I regretted everything I had done so far. The girl who was standing in front of me was not Sakura (Haruno). I stood there in stunned silence as she looked at me awkwardly.

Oh hell. What in the world have I done?

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't…mean to…I mean…" She started to stutter and explain, but I could see that she was rather hurt by my words. "No, it isn't your fault. I thought you were my friend." I quickly reacted, hoping that she would not cry. I hate girls crying for no reason, it just throws you off balance and you get all panicky or mushy.

"But…but…you said…'Sakura'…" She continued to hold her hand to her lips and her eyes shone with innocence. She's like those kinds of girls who make you want to hug them and never let go, while screaming 'She's MINE!' at the top of your voice.

"Yeah. Her name is Sakura Haruno." I replied in a nonchalant tone.

I'm so good at this. I bet she can't tell that I'm dying inside from embarrassment as well.

"Oh…" She looked down.

We seriously need a new topic. I thought for a second and then spoke calmly. "You were looking for me…?" Upon hearing that, the girl looked up once more and nodded.

"You're…Sasuke-kun right?" She asked gently.

"Well, assuming that you ran almost all over the village after me and screaming my name, I suppose I am." I didn't want to be mean to her, but I couldn't help it. These things just come with my 'I'm a bad boy' kind of package. Maybe that's why girls think I'm hot.

She blushed once more and continued to show signs of insecurity. She reminds me of someone… Ah. That's it. She reminds me of Hinata, a friend of Naruto's. You know, the…Hyuuga family heir and the one who always stutters due to lack of self-confidence. The most amazing thing is that she is rather cute, despite her weaknesses. However, like all 'bad boys' Uchiha members, I don't have the slightest interest in someone who is weak.

Or do I?

When she spoke again, I was roughly thrown out of my inner world. "I'm sorry…I just…I wanted to finally meet you…and uh…I…" I continued staring at her with nonchalant eyes. Is she a fangirl or something? If so, I'm going to run in the opposite direction once more. After being someone like me for so long, I have learnt that if there's anybody more irritating than Sakura (Haruno), it is the fangirls.

"My…my name is…Sakura Rikami." She spoke after a long silence. "You can call me Sakura."

"Another Sakura…?" I sighed. Why…? Why does everybody like to name his or her children 'Sakura'? Isn't it too common a name?

"Is…is there a problem?" The girl asked apprehensively.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking."

"Thinking of…?" Sakura (Rikami) gazed at me with her soft green eyes. I could somehow feel myself melting. How in the world can two people have the same names and be so _different_?

"Do I know you…? You seem familiar." I finally asked her the buzzing question in my mind. The girl smiled for the first time. Frankly, I think it looks nice on her. She should smile more. "Yes. I do know you, but I guess you don't know me."

"What…?" She's not making sense.

"You'll understand someday." She nodded. It was then I realized that she was wearing twin ribbons on her hair. They seem to enhance her beauty. Plus, her dress was like an altered Kimono.

"Ah!" She suddenly exclaimed and looked at me like I had killed someone. Wait…did I?

"I'm so sorry! I must have been rude for calling your name just like that. Do you want me to call you 'Uchiha-kun' instead?" She fumbled around with her fingers. I sighed. "I think…'Sasuke-kun' sounds much better."

Quietly, she nodded and flashed a faint smile at me. Oh god. She's so cute.

"Sakura…?" I suddenly spoke and she jumped slightly. "Can you…follow me to the…probation center…?" She seemed a little surprised. "Probation? Did you do anything bad…?"

"I left the village to join some evil guy." I stated calmly. After all, she needs to know the truth before she gets too close to me.

Nothing in my life could have ever prepared me for the next thing that happened. She walked forward and held my hand gently. There was a sorrowful look in her eyes and she started to shed tears.

"Even in this life as well, your heart chose revenge?"

I thought I was imagining things, but I was almost sure I heard her say that. I looked down at her with a tinge of guilt. It felt like…I had let her down a long time ago or something.

"Who are you?" I needed to know why she could send such strong feelings through me that were enough to rip my heart apart. With my free hand, I lifted her chin up and wiped away her tears. She tried to turn away, but I held on tightly.

"Answer me." I started to sound commanding.

"You can't remember…because I don't want you to." She replied. I felt a little annoyed. "So, I don't know who you are because you _said_ so?" I know that sounded really rebellious, but it was _my_ memories and she had no right to lock them away from me.

"You'll get hurt if you remembered."

"I don't care."

She looked at me sadly. Before either of us could say anything else, Naruto's voice was heard in the distance. "SASUKKKKEEEEE!!!!" he screamed. In my shock, I had let go of her and she immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shit. I would have to kill Naruto for that later.

"Damn it! Usuratonkachi!!!" I slammed a fist on his head in annoyance when he approached me.

"ITAI!!!!" he screamed in pain. "What was that for, Teme!"

"Hn."

"Stupid attitude…" Naruto mumbled a string of unintelligible words, which were probably complaints about me. "After all I've done to come and look for you…"

"Spit it out. What the hell was so important that you **had** to disturb me?"

"Well…you see. There's a tournament held between the Genins, Chuunins and Jounins today. So I wanted to ask if you would like to enter with Sakura-chan (Haruno) and I." For once in his life, he actually sounded serious and intelligent.

"Sounds nice." Yeah, it is nice enough to be turned into a blood bath.

"Sooooooo…do you want to take part…?" He asked once again in an annoying voice.

"Why not?" I smirked. It was a good opportunity to show everybody how much stronger I have become. I'm going to crush them all.

"Then it's settled! See you later at the tournament stadium, Sasuke!" Then he went hopping off happily.

It started raining.

I watched as he started running full speed towards the village for shelter. Judging by the clouds, it would rain only for a short period of time. Then I was overwhelmed by the darkness in my heart once again. Sure, some things can distract me from it, but I can never deny the existence of the evil and darkness inside of me.

_Someone save me._

I slumped against the wooden stump. My cursed seal threatened to rip my body apart as it throbbed painfully at the side of my neck. I started to take in short breaths and held my hand to the cursed seal. The evil showed me the anger and hatred I felt towards Itachi. One of my nightmares was the one about the day Itachi killed everybody in my clan except me. I could hear myself screaming in that vision.

_Please stop! Brother!_

I fell onto the ground with my back still against the wooden stump. The pain kept getting faster and more intense. The rain was drowning me alive. The darkness was eating me alive.

_Why...brother...? Why...?_

I gave up against struggling against it. I slowly closed my eyes. Maybe this time, the curse seal would finally take my soul away. I was an avenger. However, I was also more than that. I know very well that I still could not completely combine with the evil in the curse seal, and that's why…it was eating into my soul.

_You're just going to get hurt. Nothing would come out of it._

So maybe the girl from my dreams was right. I was simply running after something that would hurt me more than I would gain from it. Yet I can't stop now. There was no escape. That's why; I'm going to kill Itachi no matter what.

I allowed the rain to wash all over me. It felt very refreshing, like being reborn all over again. I looked at my hands. I could imagine the amount of blood that had been spilled onto it. No matter how I washed it, it would never go away.

I'm sick of all these.

I was about to become unconscious when I caught the scent of something sweet near me. The scent wrapped around me and made me feel like I'm in a field of flowers. I felt a hand touching my face and a voice calling out to me. I didn't know why…but I suddenly remembered the girl I met earlier. Didn't she leave…? Was she keeping an eye on me?

In my confused state, I muttered. "Sakura…"

I could sense that she was smiling. "It'll be okay. Hang on to me…I'll get you somewhere to treat your wound."

I paused for a while.

Then I hugged her closely to me. I could hear her rejecting but I simply was too tired to move. "Sa…Sasuke-kun! Not…not like this!"

Thank heavens for the rain, because I was crying.

My tears blended in with the rain. Why was she here? She shouldn't have appeared. Not when I was being so vulnerable. The truth was, loneliness was such a scary thing. I was terrified that the darkness would take me.

"Please stay…and don't go." I could hear myself mutter.

There was silence from her, but I could feel her holding me as well. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry…I'm right here."

Then we sat down there, holding each other until the rain stopped.

* * *

Sakura: Well. First chapter is done! It's a long one, and I hope that you people would enjoy it. More of Sasuke's past would be revealed as the story moves on. Please tell me if you can get confused the two 'Sakuras' and I'll try my best to make it clearer.

Please read and review! (And no flames please!)


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